The present invention relates in general to data processing systems, and in particular, to the backing up of data within a network of data processing systems.
Backing up computer data and software is expensive. Hard file space typically costs less than 2¢ per megabyte, while certain organizations charge customers 15¢ per megabyte per month to handle backing up of computer data. Nevertheless, hard files are becoming so large and inexpensive that they are very frequently not filled to their capacity by their individual users. As an example, computers sold today typically include over an eight-gigabyte hard drive which is quite difficult to completely fill with data by the typical user. Therefore, within a network of computers, there is generally a large amount of free hard file space available for use. It would be an advantage in such a network environment to enable individual client machine local hard drives to be used to backup other machines"" hard drive data in an efficient manner and in a way that does not excessively impact the performance of the individual computers. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system for providing a communal backup of data within a network, even when the individual computer users may not voluntarily permit their machines to be used as backup or when machines are powered down by individual users.
The present invention addresses the foregoing need by extending the capabilities of a network system administrator (xe2x80x9cSAxe2x80x9d) and the system administrator function of the network operating system (xe2x80x9cOSxe2x80x9d). The operating system would be modified to enable the SA to remove part of a local machine""s hard drive from control of and access to by the local user. The SA would be able to do this despite the wishes of the local user. This storage space would be managed by a command backup (xe2x80x9cCBxe2x80x9d) server agent that is located and executed in a server. The CB server agent can be OS independent thus suited for heterogeneous networks. The SA establishes, configures and manages the CB server agent. The SA can be located in a server. However, note that the present invention is also applicable to a system where the system administrator function resides in portions of local machines, which makes the present invention operable in heterogeneous networks lacking a dedicated server machine.
The CB server agent would coordinate the backing up of files in each of the local machines and control where the data was physically backed up. Though not a limitation, the CB server agent would not back up data on the physical machine from where the data originated. An OS independent (e.g., Java agent) client agent would be run in each local machine that would notify the CB server agent function when that local machine was available for backing up other machine""s data. If the local machine was busy doing something else (CPU or hard file utilization was high) at a particular time, the local agent would signal the CB server agent not to use it for backup at that time.
Furthermore, the local machines could be equipped with LAN adapters having a xe2x80x9cWake Up On LANxe2x80x9d feature, which would allow a machine to be automatically powered on by the SA when it was needed to back up or retrieve data.
Three modes of back up are disclosed: source initiated, target initiated, and server communal back up (CB) agent initiated. All are coordinated by the server CB agent. The determination of which mode is superior depends on the characteristics of the machines used and the network to which they are connected.
The present invention is applicable to both heterogeneous and homogeneous networks.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention.